


honey, your soul can never grow old (it's evergreen)

by starcrossed (starsandnightskies)



Category: Real Person Fiction, The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Barista Dean, Cafe AU, Dean calls Aidan 'Dublin' in the first half or something idk, M/M, Richard and Adam are like the best friends someone can have, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and Michelle is pretty awesome, disgustingly cliche, seriously it's fluff, writer Aidan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-29
Updated: 2015-01-29
Packaged: 2018-03-09 11:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3248309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsandnightskies/pseuds/starcrossed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a snowy day, Dean meets a beautiful customer in the cafe where he works. He has no idea it might be the start of something incredible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	honey, your soul can never grow old (it's evergreen)

**Author's Note:**

> It's so disgustingly cliché, this fic, but it ran away with me and refused to be a short one shot so here it is. I don't usually write stuff this long (seriously, this is madly long for me).
> 
> This is also my first time writing for this fandom and this ship so eh, hi? *awkward wave* 
> 
> I hope I did well.

Being a barista wasn't exactly what Dean had planned to do with his life, but it wasn't the worst job in the world either. It helped him pay the bills and at least he got out of the house. The New Zealand-born young man wasn't very social and he only had a couple of friends, but it was fine. He wasn't a social butterfly, never had been. His closest friend (and ex-boyfriend), Richard, always encouraged him to go out but it wasn't like Dean to go to a club, get wasted, and take a guy home. He'd rather find someone nice who shared his interests and hobbies, not someone who just wanted a good lay.

"Deano, you need to get up. There's snow outside and you need to go to work soon", Richard said softly, mattress dipping where he sat.

Dean groaned and covered his eyes. "I don't want to go to work. I want to sleep because it's cold and I have a headache. Can you cover my shift?" He opened his eyes just a tiny bit to look at Richard with his best puppy eyes. Not that they were very effective, since his eyes were barely visible.

"Absolutely not. I covered your shift last week. Just take a few painkillers and dress warm. I'll get your mittens out and make you some coffee but I won't take over your shift. Come on, Dean, up." It wasn't that Dean was _lazy_ , per se, he was just... unwilling to work most of the time. Although, once he got to the cafe, it wasn't too bad and time passed quickly. It was getting out of bed and out of the house that was tough in the mornings.

"I love you, but you're a dick", Dean replied. "Thanks." Eventually, he crawled out from under the covers and jumped into the shower because at least the shower was warm. Drying off and getting dressed, Dean thought about what he was going to do when his shift was over and he was able to go home. Read a book, probably, or maybe take a nap. He truly did enjoy naps.

When he got downstairs, Richard was waiting in the kitchen with a damping mug of coffee and two slices of buttered toast. "Rich, you are a gift sent from above", Dean moaned while he shoved a slice of toast in his mouth whole.

"Yeah, I wish your table manners were just as godly", Richard mumbled but there was no malice behind it. It had been years since they dated and neither of them felt anything more than friendship towards the other at this point but they had no desire to find another place to live. They worked together just fine and never got annoyed or angry at each other. What else could you wish for in a roommate? "What time does your shift end? I can pick you up if you want. Sorry I can't bring you but I need to do the grocery shopping before ten because Lee's stopping by at half ten and-"

"That would be great, Rich. I finish at five, if that's fine?" Dean interrupted him.

"Five's good, I'll be there. You should go now though, before you're late. Wouldn't want to have you fired."

"See you at five, Rich. Thanks." Dean put on his coat, still chewing the last bit of toast and chugging down his coffee before taking off. It was still snowing softly outside and there was a small layer of snow already on the ground, the flakes creaking and crushing beneath his feet. He loved snow, it made everything look so peaceful, and for a moment he regretted not taking his camera. Then he remembered that the weather forecasts had said that it would be snowing for at least a week, so he'd have plenty of time to go out and take pictures (And not like last year, when he planned to go out and instead fell asleep and woke the next day when all the snow had melted into nasty puddles at the side of the road).

"Hey Dean, good morning. Didn't sleep very well?" Adam, his colleague and friend, asked knowingly.

"Do I look that bad?" Dean sighed.

"You kind of do. Sorry."

"It's fine, I didn't sleep very well. The house was cold and I just couldn't keep myself warm."

"I know the feeling", Adam said empathically. "Go put on your apron in the back, it's just us today. And the cooks."

"Who on earth planned it that way?" Dean called while putting down his bag and shrugging out of his coat. "It's always busy with kids and couples when it snows."

"I did", Adam answered, leaning against the doorway. "Graham and Stephen wanted the day off to spend with their families and it's Jed and Martin's day off. Michelle only gets in at five."

"We're gonna be so busy", Dean pouted. "And I wanted to take it easy today." Adam laughed at him and went back to the cafe. Dean heard him say good morning to customers in a cheery voice. How the man was always so happy, he had no idea. If it was the cake he always ate, Dean would gladly steal a slice. He could use some everlasting happiness in his life. "Come on, Dean, let's get to work!"

-

The little bell above the door rung pretty often and Dean was busy until lunch. After lunch, around two, the flow of customers finally slowed down a bit. He had no idea how many hot chocolates he served but by now, he could barely smell the hot beverage without wanting to throw up. Why did Adam think it was a good idea to run the cafe with just the two of them on a snow day? He had barely had time to have lunch between customers. With a sigh, he finally sat down for a minute when the bell above the door rang again and Dean was close to groaning.

As soon as he turned around, however, whatever noise he was about to make died in his throat. A rather young man had come in, shaking the snow out of his hair and pursing his lips in displeasure of his wet coat. He was gorgeous, to put it simply, and Dean was struck silent for a moment. He had dark curly hair decorated with snowflakes, deep hazel eyes and a light stubble, like he hadn't shaven in a few days. Then the man cleared his throat and Dean almost jumped out of his skin, face flushing red in embarrassment.

"Good morning. I mean afternoon. Can I get you something to drink?" He mentally cursed his inability to keep his mind on track.

A small smile was shot his way. "A cup of tea would be nice." Unlike most other customers, he didn't try to make conversation and instead found a table and sat down in silence, staring at his notebook.

"Adam, can you make a cup of tea for the gentleman at table 4?" Dean called out back and a "yeah, sure, be right there" came in reply. "Can I get you anything else?" he asked politely.

"Do you guys have a simple ham and cheese sandwich? That would be great." Dean noticed he had a distinct Irish accent and the guy directly went up 5 places on his mental list of cute guys.

"Of course. I'll bring it to you in a moment." Mentally smacking himself awake, he went to work on making a sandwich for Dublin, as Dean had mentally dubbed the guy. Not that he had any idea where the bloke was from but Dublin seemed about right (it was also the only Irish city he could name, but that wasn't something he was very proud of). Dean brought Dublin the sandwich and he sat in silence for the rest of the afternoon with his notebook, scribbling down something occasionally. Dean was tempted to asked what he was writing but he looked like he didn't want to be disturbed.

At 4.30 on the dot, he got up, put on his coat and gloves and left and Dean was left regretting not asking for his number, or even his name. Ah, well, it was nice to have someone pretty to look at while he worked. Michelle came in at five and laughed at Dean's distractedness before shooing him off, saying "Your not-boyfriend is waiting outside in the car."

"He's not my boyfriend", Dean said automatically, it having become his default response whenever someone suggested him and Richard were together.

"Exactly", Michelle winked and she patted him on the back. It was useless to attempt discussion and besides, he knew Michelle was just teasing.

"Bye Michelle, bye Adam. See you tomorrow!" Dean called and he switched his apron for his sweater and coat before leaving the cafe and getting in the car with Richard.

"Hey, how was your day?"

"The usual", Dean sighed. "There was a cute guy though." He saw Richard brighten up from the corner of his eye.

"What was his name? Was he nice? Did you get his number?"

"Calm down, I know nothing. He was gorgeous but he didn't really seem up for a conversation so I left him alone."

Richard groaned and rolled his eyes. "You need to take a chance sometimes, Deano, he might just want someone to talk to. And if he doesn't, no harm done. He'll just tell you to back off." It seemed so easy when you said it like that but Dean honestly wasn't the type to just be straight forward with it. He felt a bit too shy for that. And awkward.

"I'll try to talk to him if he comes in tomorrow, okay? Just ask what it is he's writing."

A smile played on the taller man's lips. "I'm not forcing you to do anything but it would be nice if you found a date."

"I don't even know his name", Dean protested weakly.

"Yet."

-

The first thing Adam asked when Dean came into work the next day was whether someone had peed in his coffee that morning. "You look incredibly moody."

"Thank you, Adam, no need to remind me."

"Seriously, why are you so grumpy?"

"Richard", Dean grumbled darkly.

"I will ask no further", Adam chuckled and he threw Dean his apron. "To work, Kiwi."

"Looking cheerful today", Michelle greeted him when he came out front with a face like a thundercloud.

"Don't start", Adam warned and she raised an eyebrow.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Not today, Michelle." And she kept her mouth shut. For about five minutes, and that was a stretch. She chatted his ears off but she didn't inquire about his mood. Dean was in the back, after a busy lunch when he heard Michelle chirp a happy "good afternoon, what can I get you?" and the customer he was yet to see reply with "a cup of tea and a ham and cheese sandwich would be nice". Dean recognised the accent and it was almost embarrassing how fast he was out front, fixing up a cup of tea but he wanted to serve Dublin today. He might not get another chance.

"Michelle, can you make a ham and cheese sandwich?" Dean shot her his sweetest smile and he saw her raise an eyebrow, but she didn't question it. Carefully, he carried the tea to the same table where the guy had sat yesterday. "Here you go", Dean said, placing down the tea and giving a polite smile. Like yesterday, only a small smile was returned as he was already lost in the writing in his notebooks. _Fuck,_ Dean thought, _how do you make conversation again?_

He looked around and noticed the cafe was almost empty, and he decided that Michelle could handle it on her own, with Adam in the back. He took the sandwich Michelle had prepared and brought it to Dublin. "Here's your sandwich." He wanted to ask what it was he was writing but shut down completely. For Christ's sake. Dean was a grown man and he could do this.

-

He couldn't. He had tried to approach Dublin for the past few days but backed out at the last moment every single time. So he finally gave up and drank a scalding hot cup of coffee in the back, burning his mouth and tongue and cursing himself for being such a wimp. Like every day at 4.30, Dublin left again, packing up his notebooks and giving Dean a small wave. He counted it as a win.

"Did you talk to him yet? Or was he not there today?" Richard asked as soon as Dean stepped through the door, shaking the snow out of his hair and taking off his Converse (they're not very snow-proof shoes).

"I didn't talk to him", Dean answered and he went to find his snowboots without waiting for what was undoubtedly going to be Richard scolding him. "I'm going out, I want to take some pictures of the snow while it's still white and beautiful."

"Dean, you're dodging me."

"I completely am. See you later, Rich." Without waiting for a reply he left the house again, camera bag over his shoulder. Not knowing where exactly he wanted to go, he wandered around aimlessly for a while. Christmas lights were up at most of the houses and while it looked incredible and very festive, Dean had taken enough pictures of Christmas lights already. He wished he could take a picture of Dublin in a Christmas hat. The red would look so good on his dark hair, he mused. Right after that thought, he mentally hit himself. Imagining total strangers in domestic situations was not something you usually did.

He decided he would visit the cemetery and maybe take some pictures there. Despite the sad and gloomy vibes the place seemed to carry, it was a lovely place to take pictures. They had planted a lot of evergreen trees when the cemetery was constructed centuries back and now they sheltered the place almost completely, but with just enough space between them to let the snow flutter down to the ground. It was mostly empty, people not very willing to visit their deceased family or friends with a layer of snow outside.

Today, Dean only saw one other person, on a small chair (the type you can fold and carry with you) and he seemed to be reading something to a grave. It made a lovely picture, so Dean got a little closer while taking out his camera before snapping away. The man's face wasn't visible so he wasn't too worried about violating privacy rights. He got even closer to take some more pictures when he heard what the man was reading. A slight Irish lilt slipped into his words when he talked and Dean realised he was looking at Dublin, the beautiful (and now regular) customer at work. He subconsciously lowered his camera and stopped to listen to his beautiful voice reading a story.

" _And Daisy said to her mummy, 'Mummy, will someone love me like that?' and mummy replied: 'Someone already does, my dear Daisy.' 'Who then?'she asked. 'I do, silly!' Mummy called out and swirled Daisy around in a large bear hug._ That's it for now, ma. You're the only one who listens. I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe I'll have some more done, or a few illustrations. Love you." He got up and Dean decided it was time to stop sneaking around and announce himself, before he gave the poor guy a heart attack or something.

"That sounded lovely."

"Woah!" Dublin whirled around so fast Dean thought he'd give himself whiplash. "You scared me, mate. You sneaked up on me."

"Sorry about that." Dean scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Have you ever met someone who's so beautiful you can't look at them directly without wanting to divert your eyes from the blinding beauty that radiates of them? Dublin was one of those people to Dean. "Did you write that? It was good."

"Yeah, I did." He gave a short laugh. "Thanks. My mum's the only one who wants to listen to it."

"I'm sure that's not true", Dean protested, camera swinging from the strap on his shoulder. "And when we're on the topic of sneaking, I took your picture. It's from the back but it made a pretty artistic picture, you in your chair in a snow-covered, empty cemetery."

"Mind if I see it? I'm Aidan, by the way. You work at the cafe in town, right?"

"Yeah, I do. Name's Dean." So he had a name. Aidan. It suited him (A quick search on Google later confirmed that it indeed suited him, like Dean had thought. The meaning of the name Aidan was 'fire' and Aidan definitely did have a fire in his eyes). He showed Aidan the pictures he took and Aidan agreed with him that the pictures definitely looked artistic. They talked a bit and when it got dark, Dean regrettably had to return home before Richard started getting worried.

"I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? Two o'clock, as always."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow. Bye Aidan." They parted and Dean felt like he had finally made some progress. He didn't have Aidan's number but at least he had a name to go with the face now. They had talked and Aidan hadn't thought him to be a stalker, so it was all good. Dean was incredibly glad he decided to go out today after work to take pictures. In the end, he hadn't taken much pictures but he had possibly made a new friend so it was all the same. With a smile on his face, he returned home and when Richard asked what on Earth had gotten into him, all he replied was "Aidan".

"Who is Aidan?"

-

Dean couldn't wait for two o'clock to come around the next day at work. Graham asked why he was so jittery and Adam walked by whispering: "He's a man in love, Graham." Graham didn't ask any further. At two o'clock on the dot, the little bell above the door tingled and Aidan entered, smiling at Dean quite widely instead of his usual polite smile.

"The usual?" Dean asked and Aidan nodded.

"But add something you like. At my expense. I mean, if you have the time to join me for a while", he hastily added. _Well_ , Dean thought, _at least Aidan was pretty straight forward_.

"Sure, I'll ask my boss. I'll get your tea and sandwich first." Not that Adam actually was his boss but he was the unofficial manager of all employees at the cafe. "Adam, can I sit with my friend for a bit?"

Adam smiled knowingly and gave a small nod as answer. "Sure, it's not busy. Don't be longer than half an hour though, you still need to work or you won't get paid."

"I know, I know." Dean rolled his eyes. "Half an hour is fine, thanks Adam." Graham had already prepared a cup of tea and a sandwich for Aidan and a damping mug of coffee for Dean and handed them off to him with a grin. "Not a word", Dean whispered.

"Does this count as a date?" Aidan smiled at him when he put the drinks and the sandwich down. When he got no reply, he backtracked. "I'm sorry if that was weird, I just thought you-"

"It's fine, I'll count it as a date", Dean replied quickly. "To be honest, I thought you'd be a bit freaked out when I took your picture at the cemetery and scared you yesterday."

"Nah, people who stalk me are the kind of people I like. I'm kidding. You weren't actually stalking me, were you?"

"I wasn't", Dean confirmed. "You just looked very good like that."

"You're not so bad yourself", Aidan winked. "I'm sorry, that was awfully cheesy." Dean laughed loudly. They were going to get along just fine.

-

One of the things that Dean found out about Aidan early on was that he was, as cliche as it sounds, an everlasting flame. He'd been through a lot, lost his dad when he was young and later his mom, who raised him all by herself. His stories, which were stories to read to little children, were his escape. He had started writing them when he was a kid and his mum had loved his stories and always encouraged him to send them to a publisher, maybe even get them published. The problem was that Aidan thought his stories weren't good enough to be published _and_ he hadn't found anyone suited to make illustrations for his stories. Yeah sure, he could ask someone to draw for him but they never drew the things he wanted to have but couldn't make himself.

Aidan was yet to meet Richard but Dean secretly thought they'd hit it off immediately. Richard was sick of hearing everything about Aidan and demanded to meet his housemate's boyfriend. Yes, they were official. After several dates they had mutually decided to go exclusive and Dean found it to be one of the best decisions he ever made. His camera and laptop were slowly filling up with pictures of Aidan and his sketchbooks had been used again for the first time in years.

Aidan, Dean had found, was a very good model, especially when he was asleep.

"Dean? Hello, Earth to Dean?" A hand waved in front of his face and Dean realised he had zoned out talking to Richard. He saw a small but genuine smile on Richard's lips. "You really like him, don't you?"

"I do, Rich, I really do. He's lovely and charming, but also serious and caring. He's great. I want you to meet him soon. You'll love him, honestly. And he'll love you too."

"You don't need my approval, Deano."

"I know, but I want your approval. You're my closest friend and I'd really hate it if you didn't like Aidan."

"What if he doesn't like me?"

"His loss. But I doubt it, Rich. You're a great man and very kind. You two will get along just fine. I promise."

-

The bell rang a mere day later.

"Hi", Aidan said as soon as Dean opened the door and he kissed him deeply, leaving his boyfriend breathless. It were the nerves, Dean knew.

"Hi to you too", he breathed with a laugh. "If you greet me like that all the time I might just have to marry you."

"Talking about marriage already? I'm yet to meet your housemate and you're talking about getting married. One step at the time, Deano", Aidan laughed.

"What's that I hear about marriage?" Richard stuck his head around the door.

"Nothing, Rich. Aidan, this is my housemate Richard. Richard, this is my boyfriend Aidan." Dean watched the two of them exchange handshakes with a smile and Richard invited Aidan in for tea and scones (so very British of him, _honestly_ ). Within minutes, they were exchanging embarrassing stories about Dean and no protest from said Kiwi would stop them. Pouting, Dean looked between the both of them and secretly, he didn't mind them embarrassing him that much. They were getting along and he was happy for that. They were both very important to him, Richard as dear friend and housemate, and Aidan as boyfriend and possible spouse in the future.

"I hope you intend to marry him one day. It might be a bit early for that but he's a good guy and I like him a lot. And I can see that the two of you love each other", Richard said when Aidan had finally left hours later.

"He's great", Dean agreed readily. "And it is too early to talk about marriage already but he is someone I'd want to spend my life with. We are thinking about maybe moving in together soon. If you're okay with that?"

Richard laughed. "Why wouldn't I be? You love each other."

"Well, because I'm your housemate and you might not be very happy with me moving out. That's why I asked."

"Deano, it's your life. But if you insist, I'm fine with you moving out. Seriously, you've been living here for far too long", he joked.

"You love me, Rich, and you know it. And thank you, for being so nice to Aidan today."

"It's no bother, he's a lovely guy. And I approve of him, since you're probably waiting to hear that."

"I was, actually. Thank you." He surprised Richard and himself by pulling the taller man into a long hug.

-

"Aid, the publisher called. He left a message", Dean called out when he heard the front door close. He heard his boyfriend running through the house to retrieve the phone. "What, don't we say hi anymore?"

"Hi!" Aidan yelled before calling back the editor.

They had moved in together a few months ago and Aidan had asked Dean to draw for his stories because Dean knew what he wanted in a drawing. Dean, in return, asked if he would send one of his stories to a publisher once he was happy with the drawings. So they made an agreement and last week, Aidan had sent his story with Dean's drawings to a few publishers. And today, one of them called but Dean wanted Aidan to answer so he hadn't picked up.

He heard Aidan chatting somewhere in the house and he held his fingers crossed. He knew his boyfriend would be pretty disappointed if he was turned down, even though it was quite likely. Not that Aidan's stories were shit, quite the opposite. But even the first Harry Potter book was rejected several times and look at the success it has now!

"Dean! Deano, we got it!" Aidan yelled and Dean heard him before he saw him, his boyfriend jumping on him with incredible enthusiasm and they tumbled down to the floor together. "They're gonna to publish it!"

"That's incredible, babe, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks to you, Deano, without your drawings and your support, I never would've sent it. They want to meet us and go over some things with us but they want to publish it! Can you believe it?!"

Dean laughed and hugged him closer. Aidan looked so happy, his eyes shining bright and his smile wide and genuine. Dean was so in love with him.

**Author's Note:**

> ZenWriter + lots of Hershey's chocolate makes a happy writer. Feedback also makes a happy writer. :)


End file.
